New York, NY -- September 19, 2002
/PRNewswire/ -- A simple but unconventional new software technology called CoTV
can break through current barriers to rapidly enable advanced interactive TV services.
This "coactive TV" technology--being developed through Teleshuttle Corporation,
and the subject of recent patent filings--will enable cable operators to link TV programs
and ads to richly coordinated Web services. These CoTV services can be deployed
quickly and grow to wide use without significant new capital expense.

"Interactive TV (ITV) has long been seen as
the next stage of media evolution, but its potential remains elusive because of so-called
chicken and egg problems," says Teleshuttle president and CoTV
inventor Richard Reisman. "Few viewers appreciate the potential of ITV because
implementations have been very limited, and they remain limited because it is not
established that viewers will appreciate it."

CoTV breaks through the impasse

CoTV avoids the need for expensive new
cable boxes in viewer homes, and overcomes the limitations of current methods for adding
interactivity to selected TV programs using crudely synchronized Web sites. It provides
the missing link for using existing production and distribution infrastructures to provide
"smart synchronization" between currently installed cable TV boxes and standard
PCs.

Unlike prior, dumb "sync-TV" Web
enhancements, this CoTV coordination can be always on, and fully responsive to
individual channel surfing, video-on-demand, and advanced features for personalized
viewing. Initial deployments are expected to be based on CoTV portals operated by
cable TV services (which avoids any need for new connections in the home). Advanced
versions can give viewers full freedom to coordinate between "lean-back"
TV-screen-based interactions, using advanced set-top boxes, and "lean-forward"
Web-like interactions on any of the wireless laptop and tablet PCs (or PDAs) that are
becoming common. CoTV is also applicable to satellite, broadcast, and Internet
streamed distribution, and to DVDs.

CoTV can change the nature of TV
advertising: it can tightly link Web services to TV ads--to provide direct response and to
aid in considered purchases and relationship marketing. Linked Web enhancements can
include product details, infomercials, virtual test-drives, product configurators, service
rep call placement, and complex ordering services, all built on standard Web technology.

Interactivity and coactivity

Reisman observes, "Much of what is called
interactive TV is interaction not with what is on TV, but with content related to
what is on TV. To support this inherent multi-tasking, CoTV takes a user-centered,
task-centered approach to coordinating TV and PC activity. This creates new
pathways for programmers and advertisers, and new revenues for TV system operators that
facilitate this linkage." Reisman refers to this "coactive" coupling as
"co-vergence," because it allows the viewers PC and TV boxes to be
independent, yet coordinated so that each can be used for what it does best.

"The industry has been struggling to build
very expensive new convergent platforms to enable ITV, but these will be
confining to the coactivity we need, even if they can be deployed," says Reisman.
"Instead, by finding smart ways to link the platforms we already have, we can get on
the right track to coactivity now, create compelling and profitable ITV services rapidly,
and add more advanced features as demand pulls them."

About Teleshuttle and CoTV

Teleshuttle is seeking industry partners and
strategic investors to develop initial services, leading to wide deployment for all forms
of TV and video. Based in New York, Teleshuttle was founded in 1994 to create new media
technologies, and also provides consulting services. Additional details on CoTV are
available at www.teleshuttle.com/cotv.

Coactive media: Relating to media
multitasking. The simultaneous or alternating use of two or more media, such as TV
and Internet (Web, etc.), especially where the using of the media is synchronized or
coordinated 
typically (but not necessarily) on multiple devices or screens.

Coactive TV:Relating
to multitasking use of both television and the Internet (Web, etc.).The simultaneous or alternating use of TV and the
Internet, especially where the using of both media is coordinated or synchronized, and
especially where the TV and the Internet browser are automatically coordinated with one
another  typically
(but not necessarily) on multiple devices or screens.